BUSINESSES AND NONPROFITS STEP UP TO HELP BRUNSWICK COUNTY RECOVER.

PositionREGIONAL REPORT: COASTAL STRONG

North Carolina's southeastern corner had barely recovered from the ravages of Hurricane Matthew in 2016 when Hurricane Florence drifted ashore on Sept. 14.

In an Oct. 11 letter to N.C. Secretary of Commerce Tony Copeland, Steve Yost, executive director of the Southeast Economic Development Partnership, outlined the many ways Hurricane Florence affected the 18-county region and asked for help to the tune of at least $75 million in loans, grants and funding.

By the time the damage had been assessed and requests for aid processed, local communities had sprung into action to serve immediate needs and set the stage for recovery.

Brunswick Electric Membership Corp. was one of the first responded, jumping in to restore power to as many of its members as possible, according to BEMC spokesperson Heather Holbrook.

At the peak, 82,911 of BEMC's customers were without electricity. More than 550 employees, contractors and crews from as far away as Minnesota worked to restore power.

"BEMC is also committed to helping to meet the needs of those in our community who were negatively affected by the storm," Holbrook says.

The electric cooperative designated two local nonprofits as recipients of a matching grant opportunity through CoBank, a cooperative bank serving agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States. CoBank pledged $150,000 in funding to match customers' disaster relief contributions.

On Oct. 9, BEMC and Co-Bank presented $100,000 to Columbus County Disaster Response Inc. and Brunswick Family Assistance. The nonprofit that provides services for low-income residents put its share to use quickly.

"After Hurricane Florence, we became the point of contact for all of the disaster relief efforts in Brunswick County," says Executive Director Stephanie Bowen. "Immediately after the storm passed, we set up a collection point...

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